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"Science fiction is really sociological studies of the future, things that the writer believes are going to happen by putting two and two together."
- Ray Bradbury

Tleilaxu Eyes (Metal Eyes)  
  Tleilaxu eye surgery replaces natural eyeballs damaged or destroyed.  

Frank Herbert uses the idea of these artificial eyes to great effect in various stories, including Dune Messiah. The devices themselves are metallic, almost insectile in appearance. There is always the sense of distrust for technology that is often seen in Herbert's work.

The Tleilaxu themselves are never seen in the original book; it is not stated whether the eye surgery is done on the host planet.

A serene smile spread over the ghola's dark features. The metal eyes lifted, centered on Paul, but maintained their mechanical stare. "That is how I am called, my lord: Hayt."
Technovelgy from Dune Messiah, by Frank Herbert.
Published by Putnam in 1969
Additional resources -

At present, there are no artificial or replacement eyes. However, scientists at the Space Vacuum Epitaxy Centre (SVEC) (University of Houston, Texas), have developed, tiny ceramic photocells that could detect incoming light and so ‘repair’ malfunctioning human eyes.

At the back of each of your eyes are about 120 million rods and around six million cones. They convert light into electrical impulses which travel along the optic nerve to your brain. If these cells are damaged, the result is a loss of eyesight.

The first generation of artificial retinas constructed at SVEC consist of 100,000 tiny ceramic microdetectors, each one twentieth the size of a human hair. The arrays are attached to a polymer film one millimetre by one millimetre in size, large enough to be placed by the surgeon. The film is designed to dissolve after a couple weeks, leaving the array in position on the retina. Find out more at bionic eye surgery.

Elsewhere in the novel, the Tleilaxu are described as producing not artifacts, but tools and services. Even war and poverty could be manufactured, and could be considered as either a destructive tool (poverty could wreck a rival's power) or a useful tool (war can focus the attention of a population, and can be used to cull unwanted population).

The Tleilaxu are an interesting vision of what a corporation might look like in 10,000 years.

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Additional resources:
  More Ideas and Technology from Dune Messiah
  More Ideas and Technology by Frank Herbert
  Tech news articles related to Dune Messiah
  Tech news articles related to works by Frank Herbert

Tleilaxu Eyes (Metal Eyes)-related news articles:
  - 'Bionic Eye' Argus II Retinal Implant
  - What Retinal Implants May Not Replace
  - Retinal Prosthesis Uses Organic Printing Inks

Articles related to Medical
ErythroMer Artificial Blood
MouthPad Supports Head And Tongue Tracking
Drug Induces Hibernation-Like State In Humans
Drug To Regenerate Teeth In Humans

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